Bring Them Home, Morgan
by ddgorgeous
Summary: When the team is kidnapped by a vicious killer, Morgan must race the clock to rescue them. Will he pay the ultimate price to bring them home?
1. Chapter 1

"Hotch!"

Morgan ran through the empty bullpen and raced up the stairs taking the steps two at a time.

"Hotch!"

The Unit Chief's office was empty. Puzzled he turned making a 360 as he surveyed the entire area. Not a soul was there. It was like the world had ended while he was out to lunch.

His phone rang and he yanked it from his belt and answered it.

"Where are they, you son-of-a-bitch?!"

"Now you will learn how it feels to lose everything that's important to you!"

"This is between you and me! Let them go! You want to take somebody…then take me!"

"That would be too easy and not nearly as much fun."

Morgan stood on the catwalk in the middle of his worse nightmare. His team had vanished into thin air, taken by a maniac out for revenge. It had been so long ago and way before his life had even begun with the BAU. He had to do something, anything to get them back. The voice on the other end of the phone sent shivers up his spine. He knew far too well what he was capable of. Morgan had done battle with him nearly losing his life. He had seen his handiwork, the damage, and the joy he received from making others suffer.

"If you hurt any of them I'll kill you! That's a promise!"

All he heard was a sick cackle of a laugh and then the dull moan of his phone as the line went dead.

He began dialing cell numbers; one by one each call went to voicemail. He left hers for last. He was frozen in place. His hand held shaking hovering over the numbers not knowing what he would do if she did not answer.

Just as he began dialing Garcia's number his phone rang. It was her face flashing across his phone and his entire body fought for control of his emotions.

"Baby Girl!"

"So she is the special one!"

"Let her go!"

"Don't tell me that the eternal bachelor Derek Morgan has fallen in love?"

"If you touch her…"

"Please don't start making idle threats, agent!"

"What do you want, Kirkwood!"

"I want you! I want you to see how it feels to watch your family die!"

"You sick…"

"Yeah, yeah I know…I'm a sick son-of-a-bitch! I see your vocabulary hasn't grown much over the years!"

"Your beef is with me not them! Let's settle this, man to man!"

"That sounds good and all but…I much rather play with your friends. Remember how I like to play, agent?"

"Don't do this!"

"Maybe I'll even let you watch me carve the heart out of your pretty little tech geek! Would you like that, Derek?"

Derek closed his eyes trying not to show emotion in his voice. The thought of Penelope in the hands of this maniacal killer was too much for him to handle. He had to get them back, alive and in one piece but he didn't know how or even where to start.

15 years ago Antoine Kirkwood had haunted the city of Chicago for two years before he was stopped. He was responsible for the deaths of twenty-four women, kidnapping, torturing and killing them and then dumping their bodies in public areas staging them in sitting positions with their arms crossed holding their own hearts in their hands that had been cut out of their bodies while they were still alive.

Morgan had been the lead detective on the case and he had always known that Kirkwood had a partner but he'd managed to disappear into thin air and was never found. Kirkwood had been killed in a bloody shoot out with Derek placing a bullet in his head. Several months after Kirkwood's death he began receiving threats from Kirkwood's twin brother, Andrew. After six months, the threats stopped and Morgan moved on dismissing it as nothing more than the idle rumblings of a distraught sibling. Now, Morgan understood that the silence was merely Kirkwood taking the time to plan and prepare for his revenge. Shortly after the case, Morgan moved onto the FBI and away from his life with the Chicago PD.

The room was dark and damp and smelled of old musty clothes. Hotch was the first to open his eyes and fight through his hazy vision and the darkness of the room. He was laying face down on the floor and it was hard to move; he quickly realized that his hands and feet were bound tightly behind his back. Fighting against the bindings that rubbed roughly against his skin he realized that he wasn't alone in the room. The rustling and moans nearby stopped him, looking and squinting through the darkness.

"Hotch?" JJ's voice was slurred.

She too was bound and lying face down. Reid was next to her still unconscious. Alex and Rossi began stirring and struggling to sit up which was futile.

"Where the hell are we?" Rossi groaned.

"Is everybody okay?" Hotch asked looking around the room the best he could.

"What's going on?" Garcia's voice was shaky filled with fear.

"Reid? Reid!" Alex felt panicked when Reid didn't move.

Hotch began rocking his body from side to side trying to gain some sort of leverage to be able to sit up. Finally, Reid began to stir and Alex let out a sigh of relief.

The entire team was there except Morgan. They had all gone to lunch together; all except Morgan who'd decided to workout instead. Hotch could only hope that he had not been captured if he hadn't he could be their only hope of making it out alive.

"Where are we?" Reid asked groggily.

The sound of a creaky door broke up the conversation. The sound of heavy footsteps entering the room grabbed their attention as they waited for some clue as to their current predicament.

"Welcome! I'm sorry that your accommodations couldn't be better but I assure you that that will change very soon. In the meantime, I have but one question, who wants to die today?"


	2. Chapter 2

BAU Section Chief Mateo Cruz had joined Morgan at the conference room round table. Derek quickly filled him in with what little he knew. He was running out of patience he knew what needed to be done and wasting time with Cruz was not going to bring his family home. He was going to have to go toe to toe with a sadistic killer who enjoyed watching his victims suffer slowly before brutally killing them.

"Don't even try to tell me I'm not working this case!"

Cruz hadn't been around long but he knew enough not to try and reason with SSA Derek Morgan when his mind was made up. He couldn't blame him his entire team had been kidnapped as an act of revenge against him. It was personal and even before he'd taken over as Section Chief he'd heard about the relentless fearless agent who was willing to bend and in this case break the rules to bring down an UnSub.

"The FBI will be conducting their own investigation and we can't have agents going off on their own…"

"Cruz, this is my team! My family! I'm going to do whatever it takes to bring them home! If it means I have to turn in my badge to do it then so be it!"

Cruz looked at Morgan standing unblinking in his face. Under any other circumstances he would demand the agent stand down. He'd also remind him that he was still his superior and still in command of the BAU, but now was not the time.

"What do you need?"

Morgan stepped away and took a seat and rubbed his hands over his face.

"First place I went when I got that call was to Garcia's office…I need somebody on those computers helping me find my team. "

"I'll see what I can do."

Hotch and the rest of the team had finally managed to sit up bracing themselves against the walls of the small room. Their heads had cleared from whatever drug they had been given. Their eyes had also adjusted to the dimly lit room.

"Anyone want to guess why we're here?'' JJ asked.

"And where are we?" Reid added.

"Where's Morgan?" Garcia asked, voice trembling.

"Hopefully, looking for us." Hotch answered.

Their conversation was halted by the creaking sound of the door as it slowly opened. Three men stepped in staring down at the agents. One of the men dressed in an expensive suit with matching Italian leather shoes, was obviously in charge. The other two men were well-built men who stood close behind the leader waiting obediently for orders.

"I'm glad you all have managed to make yourselves comfortable." He glanced at his cohorts and the three chuckled.

"What do you want?" Hotch asked in an even authoritative voice.

"Aaron Hotchner, I presume. I'm Andrew Kirkwood."

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?"

"It will."

Kirkwood shifted his attention to Garcia moving and standing in front of her. He loved the fear in her eyes it made him giddy and excited.

"I'm an old friend of Agent Morgan's." He continued.

"Where is he?" Rossi asked.

"Unfortunately he wasn't able to join us. Apparently he decided at the last minute not to join you all for lunch. But no worries he'll be joining us soon."

"What do you mean?" JJ asked.

"It means that he is pretty pissed off that I planned this little reunion and he's missing all of the fun." He smiled amused at himself.

"Stop playing games, Kirkwood! What's going on?" Hotch barked.

Hotch was caught off guard by the hard kick to his ribs from one of Kirkwood's goons, which blindsided him. He doubled over in pain while the others sat quietly and shocked.

Kirkwood motioned to his men as he kept his eyes on Garcia.

"I hear you're quite the actor."

Garcia trembling sat silent staring at the madman above her.

"Today is your big debut. The biggest role of your mediocre career."

At the snap of his fingers the two goons moved quickly and grabbed Garcia by her arms and began dragging her toward the door.

"NO! She screamed not meaning to but she couldn't stop her sound of panic and fear.

"Where are you taking her?!" Yelled JJ.

"Leave her alone!" Aaron moaned still doubling in pain.

Andrew Kirkwood took a moment to look triumphantly down at his captives then turned on his heels and left with a screaming hysterical Penelope Garcia in tow.

**BAU Headquarters – Later…**

He didn't think it was possible for a human being to go without breathing this long. He couldn't remember taking a breath; he'd watched the video three times now and still he hadn't inhaled…or exhaled for that matter.

"_Hey…hey…Derek"_

She was crying uncontrollably mascara streaking down her face, clothes wrinkled and disheveled. He couldn't comprehend, didn't understand, only thoughts of killing Andrew Kirkwood consumed him…and was that blood on her face, bruises under her eye?

"_Derek…I'm scared…he's going to kill us…if-if you don't come…"_

She looked to her left up into her captors face.

"_Please don't make me do this!" _She pleaded.

"_Do it!" _He barked.

She swallowed hard trying to compose herself, trying to be strong but it was too late she had already shown that she was terrified.

Then Derek watched helpless as Andrew Kirkwood came into view standing behind Penelope towering over her seated body. He leaned into the line of sight placing his face close to hers. Then he grabbed her and jerked her head back. Smiling into the camera and then back at Garcia. Morgan saw the knife in his hand; saw it as Kirkwood pressed it to her neck.

"_I could kill her right now…I'd love to kill her right now…I know you're still watching, agent!"_

He pressed the knife harder on her neck and a small bead of blood beaded onto her pale white skin.

"_How's it feel to know that I can do anything I want to her and there's nothing you can do about it?"_

Morgan's heart beat madly in his chest and squeezed the phone in his hand like he wanted to squeeze the life out of Kirkwood.

"_Derek! Please…Derek…I'm so sorry!" _

The cackle of his high-pitched laugh sent Morgan to another place. He had never felt so much rage in his life. She was his life, his love…his everything and he hadn't had a chance to convince her…to make her understand. If Kirkwood wanted to punish him and make him pay than he had found the way.

"_You have twelve hours, agent! Twelve hours to find me…face me…man to man! I want you dead! So…if you want to save your friends then come and find us! Your life for theirs!"_

He laughed again as he leaned down and licked the dripping blood from her neck. Derek cringed watching, dying inside to see her being terrorized by this lunatic.

Kirkwood pressed the knife against her neck again drawing more blood, lots of blood and screams…gut wrenching screams just before the video went black.

"PENELOPE!"


	3. Chapter 3

**BAU Headquarters – 2pm**

Derek had eleven hours to find his team. Still shaken from the video of a hysterical bloody Garcia, he knew that he had to focus and call on all of his training and push aside his personal feelings for her and the others. Cruz had made good on his promise to begin his own official search and the bullpen was now filled with FBI agents from various other departments throughout the bureau.

Frustrated, he was still waiting on a technical analysis and although he was able to do simple searches his skill set was not adequate for what he needed. Just as he was about to go down to Technical Support and snatch his own tech he noticed an older woman enter the office. She reminded him of his grandmother; surely she was lost, he thought. He continued to watch her as she approached one of the agents and saw him look up and point in his direction. He watched as she proceeded slowly up the stairs toward the conference room.

"Can I help you?"

"Agent Morgan?"

"Yes."

"I'm Mabel Henry from Tech Support."

Morgan's jaw dropped and it was no way he could hide his shock as he looked her up and down in silence. She was dressed in a bright orange skirt with red and white giant flowers; her blouse was white with black polka dots and a baby blue cardigan. Her used-to-be-a-dyed-blonde hair was graying and haphazardly pinned in a bun on top of her head.

"I get that a lot." She chuckled as she returned his unbelieving stare, pushing up her neon green cat-eyed glasses.

"I-I…um I'm sorry…"

"No worries. Where do you want me?"

"Huh?" Derek shook his head trying to remember why she was here. "Oh…right here." Pointing to the office next to the conference room.

Mable followed him to Garcia's lair and opened the door.

"This is our tech's lair. Please be careful she's pretty particular about her things…her babies as she calls them."

"Aren't we all?" She quipped back.

The woman looked even older up close sitting her bag on the floor she took a seat in front of the bank of computer screens and made herself comfortable flipping switches and watching the screens spring to life.

For a minute it was as if Garcia's future self had found a way to defy time's continuum and stepped backwards into the present time.

"From what Unit Chief Cruz told me you're in a bit of a time crunch."

She saw the mix of anger, stress and sadness in his eyes even though he thought he had done a pretty good job of hiding it behind his tough guy exterior.

"My entire team has been kidnapped and I have less than eleven hours to find them or they die."

"Okay. Let's get to work. Give me the details."

"We all left the office around noon for lunch. They went to Pelley's about a mile and a half from here and I decided to work out instead of going with them."

Mabel turned and looked him over with a discerning eye. She like what she saw.

"An hour later I received a call from the son-of-a-bitch who took them."

"So they've got to be close."

"Yeah, right." He responded surprised. "He's close but I'm not sure if I'll be able to find them in time."

"Giving up already, Handsome?" She said looking over her shoulder at him as her fingers continued to type.

"No I'll never give up."

"Good then get out of here and let me get to work."

"Yes, ma'am!" He responded in surprise.

He watched in awe he hadn't seen anyone handle multiple computers and screens like that before except…he closed his eyes for a moment to block her out of his mind. He had to remain focused there was too much at stake.

The door creaked and opened with a rush; the limp body of Penelope Garcia fell with a thud to the floor. Before any of them could utter a word the door slammed shut. With their hands and feet still bound there was nothing they could do for her but watch and wait for some sign of movement from their friend. Blood smeared her neck and blouse and no one wanted to even guess what had happened while she was gone.

"Penelope!" JJ yelled at her friend frantically.

Hotch and Rossi looked on horrified knowing she was the least prepared for a situation like this and becoming a victim of such harshness and cruelty would scare her beyond the physical.

"Garcia!" Reid called out voice quivering.

She began to stir and move against the pain but she was alive and for that they all were grateful. Her hands and feet were not bound so that was also another thing to be grateful for.

"I'm okay…I'm okay…" She whispered to them.

Slowly she pulled herself to an upright position in the middle of the room then touching lightly the haphazard gauze that had been wrapped around her neck. It was painful to the touch but she knew it could have been a lot worse. It wasn't meant to cause serious or life threatening harm. It was purely for affect, to get Morgan's attention which no doubt had achieved its purpose. As much as it had scared her she got a small sense of satisfaction knowing that Derek would kill the evil bastard when he got his hands on him.

"Garcia! Untie us!" Hotch ordered taking charge and seeing an opportunity.

Garcia as quickly as she could, crawled over to the others and began untying them starting with Hotch who in turn untied Rossi. Garcia moved over to JJ while Rossi untied Alex and Hotch finally untied Reid. Once free they all rubbed their wrist and began plotting the next move.

"Now what?" Garcia seemed to speak out loud what the others were thinking.

"Good question, Garcia. We've got to figure a way out of here." Hotch answered.

"What can you tell us? What happened?" Ross asked.

"He forced me to make a video for Derek. He wanted me to tell him that he was going to kill us if he didn't find us in time. Then he cut my neck to show Derek he was serious."

"Pen… are you okay?" JJ asked.

"It hurts like hell but I'll be fine."

"Derek's gonna kill that son-of-a-bitch!" Reid mumbled.

Just then the door opened again and Kirkwood and his two armed goons stepped confidently through the door. He examined the group and smirked so sure he was going to get away with his plan. The two men behind him had a similar smirk of overconfidence.

"So I see you've all made yourselves comfortable. Well, it's time for us to have some more fun!"

He motioned to the man on the left behind him and he obediently moved toward Reid and yanked him to his feet.

"Let's go!"

**BAU – **

With the help of Mabel Derek had narrowed his search area to a five-mile radius. He and Cruz stood in front of a large map looking at all of the possible locations that would give Kirkwood the ability to hide six people without drawing attention. Even in the relatively small area there were too many places and too little time to check them all.

"I can start sending teams out to these locations…"

"No! If they stumble on the right location, you can guarantee he will be watching. If he sees anybody but me, he's going to start killing them and I can't risk that."

"Come on, Morgan you can't check all these by yourself!"

"Yeah, I know… we've got to narrow the list and we can't afford to be wrong."

Cruz ran his hand over his head and began pacing. Taking over Strauss' old job didn't look so attractive to him now. The BAU was indeed a rare special unit with nerves of steel and watching Morgan work to find his team he knew he was not capable of doing what they did.

"So what are you going to do?" Cruz asked in frustration.

Derek's phone rang just before he could answer Cruz's question. Another video had been sent to him by Kirkwood. He braced himself for the sight of another one of his team abused and bloody flaunted in his face by a man he wanted desperately to kill.

Reid, like Garcia had been forced to make a recording and to read a prepared script to further taunt Morgan. Unlike Garcia however, Reid paid close attention to everything around him as he was led to the room set up like a miniature studio equipped with expensive equipment that the average Joe would not have a clue even existed. He had to get a message of his own to Morgan and he hoped that his friend would understand and it would help him find them before it was too late.

Morgan sat on the edge of the conference table and pushed play. He watched as Reid was pushed down into a chair and handed a piece of lined notepaper. He squinted against the bright lights and began reading silently at first.

"Read, Genius!" barked Kirkwood's voice out of view.

Reid turned to his left as if he were looking at someone and then turned back toward the camera.

"Okay! I don't understand what shooting an expensive movie is going to accomplish; this isn't Hollywood!"

Kirkwood's fist suddenly appeared in view landing hard against the side of Reid's head. Reid tried but couldn't hold in the cry of pain.

"Read the damn script!"

"Okay, okay!"

Reid glanced up at the lights before taking a deep breath and beginning.

"_Time is running out… eight and a half hours from now and we will be dead if you don't find us. No police, no FBI…come alone… your life for ours…"_

Kirkwood stepped into view placing a gun to Reid's head. Reid flinched then stiffened as the barrel pressed roughly against his temple. He closed his eyes praying that he'd gotten his message across and that they would be found soon.

"Eight and half hours, agent! If you don't make it in time just know that I'm going to have so much fun with your friends making them suffer! They'll all be screaming and calling your name wondering where you are and asking why you didn't save them!"

The screen went black as the video came to an end. Cruz watched the torment and pain cross Morgan's face.

"What are you going to do?" He asked again.

Morgan slowly looked up at the Section Chief and in a steady confident voice he answered him.

"I'm going to call for back up."

He was more confused than ever. Cruz had given up on understanding anything and so, he stood watching the wheels turning in the agent's head and after several seconds he left the room.

Morgan got up and moved to close the door. He couldn't risk being overheard. He dialed a number that he hadn't dialed in quite a while; he only hoped he'd get a warm reception without a lecture of how terrible he was at keeping in contact with friends.

The phone was answered on the third ring and he sighed at hearing her voice on the other end. No one, not even Garcia had known that he had kept in contact and knew where she was. After her sudden departure her name was very rarely if ever brought up as if she had never been a part of the team. The two of them had become close and Morgan wasn't one to forget about the few people whom he had let in. So, from time to time he would call to check on her and she him. It was their secret and he kept his word to keep her whereabouts to himself.

"It's been a while, Stranger." She said cheerfully.

"Elle, I need you…"


	4. Chapter 4

"Anything, you know that." She tried to ignore the panic in his voice.

Elle had been away for over eight years but she still had resources and eyes inside; Derek was one of them. He had made it a point to keep in contact with her and for that she was grateful. Hotch had allowed her to leave without revealing the truth about her departure. She had killed an UnSub in cold blood. She couldn't deny it even though she had refused to admit her guilt to anyone even herself. The look in Hotch's eyes, accusing, knowing made it impossible to ignore and so she did the only thing she could do, run. She often wondered why he hadn't hunted her down and prosecuted her, he had the resources and the know-how, but instead he let her walk away free. In the end she realized that once you crossed the line, you were never really free.

Morgan filled her in on the details and again they renewed their vow of secrecy. Morgan knew that this time he would have to cross the lines of protocol, and procedure and he was willing to make those choices when the time came. His friend, Elle was all too familiar with the blurring of lines.

"Elle, we've got to get them back! Kirkwood is a maniac…I've seen what he can do!"

"Morgan, we will. Call me when you can."

Mabel had compiled a list of possible locations within a five-mile radius. Most of the locations were old abandoned warehouses or property that had been deserted by the owners when the real estate marked bottomed out. He felt a sense of hopelessness when he looked at nearly twenty-three locations.

"Mabel, this list…it's too long."

"Last I checked you have a room full of FBI agents downstairs, let them help you."

"Kirkwood was very specific…no one but me. If he sees anyone else he's going to kill my team."

Mabel stopped typing and turned to face the distraught man. The look in his eyes betrayed him he wanted to show strength but his eyes, dark, and angry told the truth. His friends were going to die if he couldn't get to them before time ran out.

"I've heard a lot about you and everybody says you're the best at what you do. I wouldn't want to be the guy who is holding your partners, that's for sure." She sounded like his mother.

Morgan knew that he couldn't fail he looked at the list again and then at his watch and finally at Mabel's waiting face.

"You know this is a test, right?"

"A test?"

"Yes."

"What kind of test?"

"When you figure that out, then, and only then will you find your friends."

She turned back to her computers and began typing again while Morgan looked puzzled and even more confused than when this whole nightmare had begun. He turned and without another word left the room and headed toward the conference room to brief Cruz.

"Do you think he got the message?" JJ asked a bruised Reid.

"Knowing Morgan, he got the message."

"Now we wait." Hotch added.

Kirkwood was getting itchy time was passing too slowly for him and he needed some entertainment. He wondered how Morgan would enjoy watching him play with his friends. Boredom always made his mind wander and so he headed toward the room that held his guests.

The door swung open and all eyes were now focused on the three men. Hotch wanted desperately to smash the smile off of Kirkwood's' face and watch his eyes bug out in surprise. But he couldn't the guns strapped to their captors' bodies meant they were outnumbered, three guns to none.

With a motion of his head, the two other men moved toward Alex grabbing and yanking her to her feet. Stone-faced she refused to show any fear. She and the others had already figured out that this man thrived on fear and she wasn't going to give him that easily. Hotch and Rossi moved slightly to her defense but thought differently when the men flashed their weapons.

"Where are you taking her?" JJ yelled.

"You can come too if you want." Kirkwood chuckled. "The more the merrier."

JJ sat back in silence as the men pulled Alex out the door. Hotch leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes. He hoped that Reid was correct and Morgan had gotten his message.

**BAU –**

Morgan and Cruz stood in front of a large map of the area. Each location on the list was marked with a red stickpin. With twenty-three potential hiding places, the task before him was daunting. Even so, he couldn't help but feel as though something was missing.

"Something's not right, Cruz."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. Something Reid said on his video."

Morgan replayed the video for Cruz. He knew Reid was trying to send him a message and he was surprised that he didn't see anything on the list that matched anything he'd said.

"Reid kept talking about movies…making Hollywood movies. None of these locations have anything to do with movies…wait…"

Morgan dialed Mabel there was another location he was certain the locations on the map had nothing to do with locating his team.

"What you need gorgeous?"

This woman reminded him of a much older version of Penelope and he couldn't shake it.

"I think we're missing something. Can you get me an address for a, "Monarch Film Academy?"

"No problem, I'll send it to you in a sec."

"What are you thinking, Morgan?" Cruz asked.

"I used to date this model who wanted to be an actress and she took classes at this film school. I used to tease her about trying to break into acting from a little school in Virginia."

"So, you think they might be there?"

"I do. The school went belly up about five years ago and I'd be willing to bet the place is still empty."

"Mabel can you find out if anyone is occupying that building now?"

"Sure thing."

Mabel quickly learned that the building had been empty until about six months ago.

"According to city records, the building was purchased by Andrew Kirkwood."

"Thanks Mabel, you're a doll."

"Who told you?" She joked and then ended the call.

Cruz looked at the map as Morgan pointed out its location. It was odd to him that it was not on the original list.

"Morgan…"

"Yeah?"

"Why wasn't this place on the original list?"

"Hmm…I don't know maybe she just missed it."

"Would Garcia have missed it?"

"There's only one Garcia…she doesn't miss anything."

Mabel was quite impressed with the agent. It was true what she'd heard about him. No wonder he was selected to be a part of this unit. He wasn't supposed to figure it out until much later. She hadn't missed it, in fact it came up first on her search but it wasn't time yet. He was nowhere near the deadline. Perhaps her nephew had under estimated Agent Derek Morgan. At any rate, she had to make a phone call to warn him that he was coming.

The phone rang four times before he picked up slightly irritated. He was just about to have fun with the dark haired agent. She was a little older than what he usually liked but she would serve his purposes. He had already forced her to undress down to her underwear and he had just unpacked his knives when the piercing ring tone stopped him.

"What!"

"It looks like I may be interrupting?"

"This better be important! You know not to call me from the FBI building! We've gone over this a thousand times, Aunt Mabel!"

"Yeah, yeah, keep your pants on or should I say, put your knives away…Anyway I got an update for you."

Andrew exhaled and set the knife down on the table next to him.

"What is it?"

"He's on his way."

"What? You were supposed to stall him!"

"I tried! He's smart! He figured it out. I'm not sure how but he did."

"Damn! Damn! Damn!"

He was distracted, Alex saw the knives and his back was to them. He was so busy throwing a temper tantrum that he'd forgotten all about her. She moved toward the table and reached for the knife. She had almost made it but he turned just before her hand reached the handle of the knife.

"NO!" He yelled dropping the phone.

Andrew rushed toward Alex back-handing her across the face sending her sprawling on the floor.

"Bitch! What do you think you're doing?"

He grabbed her roughly by the hair and pulled her to her feet. She looked at him anger flooding her face. She no longer cared that he saw her emotions she just wanted to grab a knife and plunge it into his body but that wasn't going to happen. He slammed her against the wall pinning her there with his large hand around her neck.

"You're not going to get away with this! Morgan is on his way and he's going to kill you!" She choked out struggling for air."

He looked at her face then at her body nearly naked struggling for breath before him. How he wanted to slice her up and cut her up in tiny pieces and send the video of his acts to Morgan but he was out of time. He pressed harder against her neck he could feel her bones giving under the pressure and he liked it. He felt an odd high watching her fight for air.

"Well, you won't be alive to see it!"

She began to lose consciousness. Suddenly he let her go and her body slid limply to the floor. He turned his back and walked toward the table. Alex coughed and tried to inhale and gather her strength for one more try at getting her hand on one of the knives. Maybe it was the lack of oxygen, fatigue or anger; she didn't see that he had grabbed a knife and began running his hand lightly across the blade. She assumed he was being arrogant and because he had nearly strangled her, no longer perceived her as a threat. Struggling to her feet she took a step toward him then another. Suddenly he turned with an evil smile and as she lunged her body toward him he plunged the knife into her stomach. He loved the shocked look in her eyes. He felt exhilarated as her blood ran over his hand. Pulling her weakening body to him he held her tightly against his body and breathed in the scent of her hair.

It had been a while since he felt the pure joy of death on his hands and heard the last guttural sound of that last breath. After she was gone he let her go and watched her body hit the floor with a thud.

"Hello! Hello? Andrew are you still there?" Mabel shouted on the other end of the phone.

Andrew wiped the blood on his trousers and picked up the phone that had fallen on the floor.

"Yeah, I'm here." He said trying to catch his breath. Murder always left him breathless.

"You better get ready. He's comin' for you!"

Andrew angrily ended the call took one final glanced at the dead woman's body and left the room.

**BAU Quantico, VA**

Derek had notified Elle and he was arming himself and putting on his vest. He had instructed Cruz to have his men stay out of view until he signaled for them to come in. It was important that Kirkwood only see him he knew he'd be watching the building's entrances.

Cruz was nervous; this could end with the entire team losing their lives. For all he knew Hotch and the others were already dead. He didn't dare mention that to Morgan, however he simply remained silent as he adjusted his own vest.

Without any more words Morgan headed toward the elevator. It was time to bring his family home…alive and safe.

Mabel began shutting down the computers in Garcia's office. She took special care to leave everything exactly as she found it. In fact, she grabbed a few of the wet wipes that sat in the corner of the desk and wiped the keyboard and the screens and anything else she may have come in contact with. She hated germs and believed firmly in cleaning up after herself. After she was finished she poked her head out the door, seeing that everyone was preoccupied with other things she quietly slipped out of the office.


	5. Chapter 5

Morgan and Elle met outside of the fenced enclosure of the old run down warehouse. Both of them were heavily armed with adrenaline pumping wildly through their veins and they were ready to bring their friends home. Morgan had instructed Cruz and his team to stay out of sight until he signaled them to come in. Morgan was glad that Elle was there watching his back; he trusted her and knew that she was a deadly force he could count on.

The warehouse, the former home of a once successful film school now lay dormant and unused behind a twelve-foot tall wire fence kept locked by a simple pad lock that any petty thug worth his weight in cheap wine could pick with very little effort. According to the information that Morgan had received from Mabel, Andrew Kirkwood had purchased the property lock, stock and barrel recently. The school's inventory gave him the high tech equipment needed to make the videos that he had sent Morgan. The fact that the security provided by a simple padlock was all a part of the deranged man's plan had not slipped Morgan's attention; he wanted Morgan to find him and he wanted to make it easy for his enemy to get in so that the games could really begin.

Andrew had planned his revenge down to the last detail. The twelve-hour deadline was supposed to give Morgan just enough time. Aunt Mabel was to make sure that he didn't find the school until he was ready for him and tired of terrorizing his friends; just enough time for him to arrive frantic and moments before the deadline ticked away. But, he had underestimated the agent, didn't really believe that he was smarter than the plan he had devised in his feeble, less than ordinary mind. His brother Antoine had been the smart one, not him and even though they were twins he fell short when it came to intelligence. He had become over confident when he had been able to elude the Chicago Police Department 15 years ago and for once in his life he was the smart one and so, he hid in the comfort of virtual invisibility and began plotting his revenge.

The phone call from his aunt infuriated him; she had failed but refused to admit it. She kept bragging about how smart Agent Morgan was. There was still so much more he had in store for the five remaining agents. No matter, he thought, he would still get what he wanted and that was to kill the man who had killed his brother in cold blood.

The door swung open and Andrew and his two goons stepped inside. Except for the two videos, the team had been left alone and unharmed. Besides the fact that Alex had not returned the last six hours passed uneventful. They had figured out that whoever this man was his only agenda was to draw Morgan there and he knew that taking them would definitely accomplish that.

"Where's Alex? Where's our friend?" Hotch demanded glaring at Andrew.

"I hate to tell you that your team mate is dead."

Garcia couldn't hold back the gasp that escaped from her. The others looked on in anger wondering who would be next.

"Dead? You won't get away with this, you know that right?" Rossi barked.

"I already have." He snickered. "I just got word that Agent Morgan is on his way…a lot earlier than I'd planned, impressive."

"And you're a dead man when he gets here, too." Reid added.

"Maybe, maybe not. At any rate you won't be around to witness it."

"So, you're going to kill us now right?" JJ asked.

"Well…not quite yet. What kind of host would I be if I didn't wait until the guest of honor arrived before killing you all?"

"You are a sick…" Hotch began.

"I know…I'm a sick son-of-a-bitch! You agents have such limited vocabularies." He snickered again.

"You still haven't told us why you're doing this?" Reid asked trying to stall the man.

"Your friend killed my brother; shot him point blank in the head. He didn't know I was hiding but I saw him kill him!"

"He must have deserved it!" Penelope couldn't restrain herself.

Andrew shot a glare her way and stepped toward her causing her to flinch. Rossi and Hotch moved but where stilled by the rifles immediately pressed against their heads. He grabbed her pulling her to her feet without breaking his stare.

"Let her go!" JJ yelled.

Andrew pushed Garcia roughly against the wall and pinned her their with a rough hand to her throat.

"Get your hands off of her!" Reid yelled.

Glancing with a wicked smile at Reid, then Rossi and lastly at Hotch, he reared back and swung landing a fierce slap against her face. Blood gushed from her nose spraying on Andrew's shirt. He hit her with his fist causing a red bruise to appear almost immediately under her right eye.

Garcia screamed in pain but it wasn't enough to make her regret her words. She felt the pain shoot through her face and the blood ran from her nose staining her clothes.

"No!" JJ screamed."

"Now you're ready to greet your boyfriend when he arrives."

Then he released his grip on her neck and her body fell in a heap to the ground. Andrew motioned to the men and the two grabbed her by her arms and drug her out of the room.

The sound of the lock sliding into place motivated the others to their feet. Time was running out for them and they could only pray that Morgan got there in time.

Morgan knew he was walking into a trap; all the signs were there…simple padlock on the front gate and all the doors around the buildings were basic locks. There was no sign of an active alarm system but he did see the cameras strategically placed to see anyone coming toward the building. He didn't care that Kirkwood would be waiting he'd taken down countless UnSubs that had tried to outsmart him before. Kirkwood no doubt felt quite confident in his plan but there was one thing he hadn't counted on…Morgan had back up.

Elle waited patiently for Morgan to enter the building. The two of them knew that once he entered Kirkwood's attention would no longer be on the cameras because he assumed Morgan would be too afraid to bring the Calvary with him. So, she slipped in through the back of the building hidden in the darkness and quiet of the old dusty building.

Kirkwood had only recently become acquainted with bombs and as he set the charges outside of his captives room he silently prayed that he'd given himself enough time to kill Morgan and his Baby Girl and get out of the building before the fireworks began. He was almost giddy at being so close to getting his revenge and watching the horror in Morgan's eyes as he took the cute blonde's life.

Elle slowly eased her way through the building checking around every corner for Kirkwood and his team. She had to find a way to even the playing field because she knew they'd be waiting for Morgan. As she turned a corner near the back of the building she nearly ran into one of the men. He saw her but not soon enough to stop her from shooting him dead; the silencer on her gun keeping the noise to a minimum. One down, she thought as she continued down the hallway.

The building was quiet, he hoped that Kirkwood had not decided to kill them all and leave their dead bodies for him to find hoping to use his grief against him and then take him by surprise and end his life too.

Something up ahead in the large open space of the room caught his attention. Was this the bait, he thought to himself as he continued toward what looked like…

His breath caught in his throat and anger and terror filled his mind making it hard for him to focus. A single light above illuminated the scene. Seeing her limp body dangling from a beam above her nearly knocked him off of his feet. He rushed over to her; the sight of her bloody face stopped him momentarily in his tracks.

"Penelope! No, no, no…Baby Girl!" He whispered.

Holstering his gun Morgan grabbed a nearby chair and ran over to her. He quickly jumped on it and untied her. Carefully he held her body and lowered her to the floor. Then he heard footsteps and clapping in the background.

"Well, the hero has arrived. Just in time to save the day, right Agent Morgan?"

Kirkwood appeared from the shadows as Morgan slowly turned to face him. This was it, this was what the day had come to; a showdown and Morgan wanted nothing more than to end this man's life. Morgan saw the gun in Kirkwood's hand, his was still holstered and he was at a disadvantage.

"Do you know how long I have waited for this day?"

"Where's my team, you son-of-a-…"

"Please! You really need to find another name to call me!" He interrupted.

Morgan slowly stood watching the man in front of him. He'd hurt Garcia and there was no telling what he'd done to the others. Andrew stepped closer to Morgan with his gun steadied on him.

Elle stood outside the last room; she could hear voices and knew it was the team. She also saw the homemade bundle of C4, wires and a small clock taped to the door. Not good she wasn't the bomb expert, Morgan was and he was busy. The bright neon lights on the clock displayed the numbers second by second the time slowly vanishing away.

The sight of the bomb had distracted Elle; she didn't see the tall burly man come around the corner gun drawn. She looked up and heard footsteps running toward her. She heard the whizzing sound before she saw the dust from the wall explode in the air; the bullet had missed her and out of reflex she returned the gunfire. Her bullet had found its mark as the man fell to the ground.

The team heard the commotion outside the door and jumped just as a second bullet rang out and then the sound of a heavy thud on the ground, then silence. Reid and JJ ran to the door beating and yelling for help.

"We're here! Let us out!"

Elle saw the bomb time ticking she had to stop the commotion before the bomb went off prematurely.

"Stop! Back away from the door!"

The familiar voice stopped them; it had been years since they'd heard the voice of a long lost friend and family member. Her name had not even been uttered almost as if she had never served with them in the fight against evil.

"There's a bomb strapped to the door! We'll get you out!"

Then there was silence again as they heard light footsteps running away into the distance.

Elle ran as fast as she could down the hall toward the main room of the warehouse. She could hear voices. One she knew and the other she assumed was that of Andrew Kirkwood. The stranger's voice was soaked in anger and hate finding it necessary to explain in detail how Morgan's death at his hands would be justified. Neither man saw her enter the room hidden in the darkness.

Kirkwood was exhausted, done with talking and ready to end it all. He was content that he'd said everything that he needed to say to this man before him standing defenseless and waiting for the inevitable. Morgan watched the man as his finger wrapped itself around the trigger. It was then that he saw her slowly stepping from the darkness into the dim light. Then with no further introduction a loud bang cracked the tension in the room and Kirkwood shocked dead body fell with an anticlimactic thud to the floor.

_MEANWHILE…_

The clock wrapped around C4 and wires strapped to the door continued to countdown as the rest of the team waited desperately for rescue.

…59…58…57…


	6. Chapter 6

Morgan looked across the room at his friend; she'd saved his life and ended the life of Andrew Kirkwood. Glancing at Garcia laying unconscious on the floor behind him his mind was distracted until Elle's voice jerked his attention back to her.

"There's a bomb!"

Morgan jumped to his feet and headed toward Elle who had already begun running back down the hallway. His eyes fell on the makeshift contraption and he cursed to himself. It was obviously made by a novice, which often were the most deadly because the maker was playing with something they had no business toying with and a slight miscalculation or misconnected wire could spell tragedy.

"Shit!" He spit out under his breath. "Thirty seconds! Elle, that's not enough time!"

"It has to be, Morgan! The team is behind that door! I've seen you do it before. Come on!"

Morgan kneeled down in front of the bomb…28 seconds…

His hands were sweating and shaking…27 seconds… so much to do in so little time…

"Elle, I need you to get out of here…now! I know Cruz heard the gunfire and he won't wait for my call…he'll be here any minute."

"Morgan I'm not leaving you here…"

"Elle…go! I don't want you getting caught, neither one of us can explain why you're here."

Morgan continued to work with the bomb as the time ticked away…23 seconds…

"Please…go…before it's too late…I can handle this."

Elle slowly stood and glanced down both ends of the hall. Morgan continued his work as she turned to leave.

"Elle…"

"Yeah, Morgan?"

"Thank you…I owe you."

Elle smiled at her friend keeping score wasn't a part of their friendship, never was and never would be.

"No you don't."

Quickly turning and smiling back at her he nodded as she made a speedy retreat into the darkness.

10…9…8…7…6…

So close…just one more wire…red? Yellow? Blue?

5…4…3...2…

Pulling the yellow wire for no particular reason holding his breath and then exhaling as the clock stopped and the neon light faded to black.

Now to get his team out he jumped to his feet and blasted the door with his foot knocking it off of its hinges. The sight of Hotch, Rossi, JJ, and Reid was overwhelming but the feeling was immediately replaced with fear and confusion…one of them was missing.

"Where's Alex?"

"Kirkwood and his men took her and never brought her back." Reid began.

Morgan looked at the others there was something they weren't telling him.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Kirkwood said she was dead." JJ answered.

"No! She can't be dead…"

"Morgan…" JJ continued.

"NO! If she's dead then he wins. No!"

Morgan began pulling them from the room.

"Take this hallway to your left it'll lead you to the main entrance and the way out. Garcia…she's hurt…please take care of her…get her out of here!"

"What are you going to do?" Rossi asked.

"I'm going to find Alex. Now, go, quick! Garcia needs help now!"

"Morgan, I'm going with you." Hotch insisted.

He knew not to argue; he'd seen that look on his boss' face more than once and if he were honest, he welcomed the help. The rest of the team headed toward the front of the building as instructed and Morgan and Hotch headed in the opposite direction down the dark hallway. From the distance the two men could hear Cruz and his team rushing through the door identifying themselves as FBI agents and Morgan let out a sigh of relief as the two continued down the hall.

Hotch followed Morgan down the hallway peeking into the rooms behind closed doors searching for their missing agent. The door to the last room on the right was open. Morgan shot a glance at Hotch and then entered flipping the switch on the wall and illuminating the room. He saw her still body dressed only in her underwear lying on the floor. Morgan didn't allow his mind to wonder what she had gone through before she ended up in a pool of her own blood alone in this cold dingy room.

Without saying a word he walked over to her kneeled down placed two fingers on her neck…and prayed. His plan was to bring the team home…all of them…alive and the thought of failing was something he wasn't ready to accept. He dropped his head, held is breath for a brief moment before turning toward Hotch.

"Hotch…she's alive."

**Potomac General Hospital – 1 Hour Later**

Rossi, Reid and JJ had been cleared by the ER doctors and sat restlessly in the waiting room. Hotch's bruised ribs were being tended to and was expected to join them shortly. Morgan's mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Penelope; she had been bruised, bloody and unconscious the last time he had seen her. The good news was that she had come to just before arriving at the hospital but he still hadn't been given an update and it was driving him crazy. Alex had been taken immediately to surgery; she'd lost a lot of blood from a stab wound to her stomach. The team had been told she was dead and the fact that she was hanging on gave them a strand of hope.

A dark haired middle-aged woman stepped through the doors and assumed the weary looking group was all here for the two agents that had recently been brought in.

"Penelope Garcia?"

"Yes!" Derek quickly answered and neared the doctor.

"I'm Dr. Angela Myers. I'm the attending treating Ms. Garcia."

"How is she?" JJ asked voice trembling.

She has a minor concussion and several bruises and abrasions on her face. It looks like someone with a heavy hand took out their anger on her."

Morgan ran his hands over his head trying to remain calm.

"Is she going to be okay, Dr.?" Morgan asked.

"We'd like to keep her overnight for observation, but I expect her to make a full recovery."

The four released a sigh of relief as they thanked the doctor.

"Can we see her?"

"We're getting her settled in her room, give us about twenty minutes and you can go in and see her."

"What about Alex Blake?" Rossi asked.

"I'm sorry, I don't know anything except she's still in the O.R. Her injuries were pretty extensive and she lost a lot of blood. I'll make sure to have the nurse come out and update you as soon as possible."

"Thank you doctor." Morgan said.

As the doctor turned and left Hotch entered and joined the four. JJ filled him in on Garcia and Blake. JJ watched as he held his hand lightly over his bruised left side and grimaced in pain.

"How are you feeling?" JJ asked her boss.

"Just a few bruises nothing serious."

The four returned to their seats and continued their waiting thankful that Morgan had found them in time and that Kirkwood had not been able to carry out his plan for them.

_MEANWHILE…_

Mable watched the five exhausted agents from a slight distance. She found that people didn't pay much attention to a middle-aged woman, especially in a hospital. Nurses, doctors, orderlies and other hospital personnel had passed her for the last hour and not one asked her if she needed help. She was just a part of the scenery, furniture she thought with a private chuckle.

Derek Morgan had proven to be a superior opponent responsible for the death of her nephews Antoine and Andrew Kirkwood who were no match for the man who brought criminals to justice every day. She had no family left; he had taken her last living relative today. She didn't like being alone and it wasn't fair. This time she would have the upper hand and she promised her dearly departed nephew that SSA Derek Morgan would pay for what he'd done. He wouldn't see it coming; he knew her as a kind elderly computer tech who had helped him on a case, nothing more.

Just like the men and women passing her by in the hospital, he'd never perceive her as a threat...she'd let him get comfortable in the assumption that the death of Andrew Kirkwood spelled the close of the case. Little did he know it was just the beginning of what she had in store for Derek Morgan.


	7. Chapter 7

**Potomac General Hospital – **

He sat at her beside, holding her hand in his staring intently and waiting. He couldn't erase the vision of her hanging from the rafters in the old rundown warehouse that had once been a vibrant film school but had since been forgotten left to be occupied by dust and ruin the holding cell for his friends that had become family. He prided himself in being strong and fearless but the thought of losing her, them would have changed him, destroyed him even.

The past was a place that had not been kind to Morgan; he'd been victimized and convinced that he was nothing; nothing that needed to be protected, loved and so he had believed it to be true and taught himself to be hard and to build a wall around his heart. Just when it seemed as if the wall would crack he'd back away and close ranks around that small part of him that he still controlled.

But she had found a way in; he didn't know how she had managed it but she'd done it with ease and without so much as a warning shot. Penelope Garcia had conquered the giant, taken the treasure yet she refused to consider his heart as the spoils of war. Instead she cared for him even when he desperately protested. She waited patiently until he ran out of excuses and allowed her to love him and to wrap him in that love that was one of the few sane and consistent things in his life. He didn't know what he had done to warrant her but he had finally stopped trying to figure it out.

The doctor said she would be fine, full recovery was the prognosis and for that he thanked God, whom he had only a casual acquaintance. He had come close to losing his family and for a while he'd doubted himself. They were safe now and for that he was grateful.

Morgan felt a soft hand on his shoulder. He hadn't heard her enter so deep in in thought.

"How's she doing?"

"JJ, I thought I had lost her. All of you."

"Well you didn't. You saved our lives, Derek. Thank you."

Never breaking his stare that was focused on Garcia, he shook his head.

"Not necessary. I'm just glad I made it on time."

"How about you go and get something to eat. I'll sit with her."

"JJ…I can't…"

"She'll be fine. I won't leave her." She interrupted.

"Okay, I'm just going to get some coffee. I'll be back."

Reluctantly he stood and stepped out of the room.

"If you think he's over protective now, Garcie, just wait." She said to her sleeping friend as a small smile of relief crossed her face.

As Morgan headed towards the waiting room, Hotch was ending a call. He looked tired. Rossi was nodding in a chair nearby while Reid was thumbing through one of the outdated magazines on his lap.

"Morgan, we need to talk." Hotch said hastily.

"Sure. I was just going to get some coffee."

"Let's take a walk."

The two headed down the long hallway toward the cafeteria.

"What's up, Hotch?"

"Morgan, how long have you been in contact with Elle?"

"Since always."

"Morgan, you need to tell me where she is."

"Hotch, are you serious, man?"

"She needs to answer for her actions!"

"She just saved your life!"

"I know that and I'm grateful but it doesn't change the fact that she shot a man in cold blood."

"That shooting was ruled self-defense."

"You and I know that was not the case."

"Listen, as far as I'm concerned that is exactly the case!"

"How do you plan on explaining the facts of this case?"

"The facts of the case? Hotch, all I was thinking about was finding you guys and bringing you home safe!"

"You're still going to have to account for your actions and anyone else who may have been involved."

"I can't believe we're having this conversation!" Morgan began pacing in front of the cafeteria door. "Listen, Elle is my friend and all I know is that when I needed her she came through! End of discussion!"

"I know we're all tired and worried about Garcia and Blake but this is not over! I'm giving you until nine a.m. tomorrow to tell me were she is."

"And what if I don't?"

"Then I'll suspend you…indefinitely!"

Morgan stood staring angrily at Hotch and Hotch unflinchingly returned the glare. He couldn't believe that after all that had happened over the last several hours that his boss would make a demand like this. He had to know that he wouldn't betray Elle. He'd risked his life and hers to save them and he had yet to hear a thank you from the man whom he'd grown to respect and consider family.

Morgan turned and headed into the cafeteria leaving Hotch in the hallway without uttering another word.

Mabel had followed the two men not close enough to hear the conversation but close enough to know that it was a heated one. Poor Morgan, he could probably use a friend about now, she thought to herself as she continued down the hallway and into the cafeteria, past a still fuming SSA Aaron Hotchner.

Morgan had gone straight to the coffee pot and poured himself a large cup. After paying the cashier he found a small table in the far corner and sat.

"Agent Morgan!" She said cheerily.

"Mabel."

She was the last person he expected to see in fact, he hadn't thought about the elderly tech analyst since she'd helped him earlier.

"What are you doing here?"

"May I join you, agent?"

"Uh… sure…I'm sorry. Sit, sit."

"I just heard that you found your team and got them out safely!"

"Yeah…they're all fine… well, accept Agent Blake, she's still in surgery."

"You did it! I'm proud of you! I knew you could do it!"

He couldn't help but think how much she sounded like his grandmother; always good for a pep talk just at the right time.

"It was close; too close."

"Well you brought them home and that's what counts."

"Thanks Mabel."

"Oh, it's nothing. Since the hospital is on my way home I thought I'd stop by to check on you."

"Well I appreciate it."

Distracted Morgan looked down at his cup in deep thought. Mabel noticed.

"For a man who just accomplished the near impossible, you look like you've lost your best friend."

"I hope not."

"You want to talk about it?"

"No but thank you; I'll work it out."

"Okay, but if you change your mind you know were to find me."

He smiled and continued to stare at his cup of coffee that was now growing cold. Mabel stood and headed out and into the busy hallway. Turning to look at the still troubled agent she renewed her determination to do what her nephew had failed to accomplish.

She had always took great pride in her intelligence; she wasn't young or strong and she didn't have the means to hire someone to shoot him dead on the street all she had was her mind and the element of surprise. Time was of the essence the longer she waited the more likely that she would be discovered for the fraud that she was.

It was settled then, Mabel would make sure he died a slow painful death but first he would learn how it felt to lose the ones he loved.


	8. Chapter 8

Morgan refilled his cup and headed back to Garcia's room. He ignored the team huddled in the waiting room; he wasn't ready for another confrontation with Hotch he just needed to be near her and the quiet of her hospital room.

They still hadn't heard anything about Blake; she didn't look good when he and Hotch had found her lying on the floor. She had lost a lot of blood and her body felt cool to his touch. He didn't want to lose another team member he couldn't accept Kirkwood winning again. He'd lived free for the last fifteen years without being held accountable for the deaths of 24 innocent women. He couldn't convince his superiors that his brother Antoine was not acting alone; but he knew it in his gut that there were two not one. The case had haunted him even after leaving the Chicago PD and joining the bureau; the thought of someone getting away with murder didn't sit well with him.

She smiled when he entered the room. JJ true to her word had stayed with her while he'd gone to take a break. The two girl friends watched him as he approached and stood on the opposite side of the bed taking her hand in his and leaning down to plant a soft kiss on her lips. JJ looked surprised at her two friends they'd kept their relationship a secret until now with no public displays like this. Everyone had whispered and wondered behind their backs but there had been no admissions of anything except friendship. He'd come too close to losing her and now it didn't matter to him what anyone thought.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself." She answered back softly.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here when you woke up but…"

"Shh…" She interrupted. "I know you've been here all the time. Besides, JJ's been here to keep me company."

"Thank you JJ."

"That's what family does."

"You haven't missed anything. I just opened my eyes."

JJ noticed that the two of them were doing that thing they do. The thing that makes everyone around them disappear whenever they were together. She cleared her throat and stood to leave.

"I think I'll head to the waiting room to see if there's been any word on Alex."

"Thanks JJ." Garcia said.

"I'm just glad you're alright. You scared the hell out of us."

JJ paused and looked at her friends before she stepped into the hallway and headed to the waiting room to join the rest of the team. She shared Morgan's sentiment; she couldn't bear losing another team member they had already gone through too much.

"How are you feeling, Baby Girl?"

"Other than a killer headache I'm fine, Handsome."

"Good. The doctor says you can go home tomorrow."

"I feel fine. I want to go home now."

"You're going to do what the doctor says. No taking chances."

He moved and sat on the side of her bed watching her trying to find the words that he needed to say but he couldn't.

"Talk to me."

She hadn't seen that look in his eyes before, terror and fear…anger. She knew he would have trouble with this even though he had saved them again. She knew him better than anyone and he was haunted by what his life had given him, what they did for a living and the fact the he had allowed himself to fall in love. He had confided in her that his biggest fear was that his love for her would be used against him; used to hurt her and so he had resisted them and now his worst nightmare had almost come true today.

She gently took his hand and squeezed it. He looked away from her and at their joined hands gently rubbing his thumb across the back of hers. His tears fell one by one down his face. He couldn't stop them and he wasn't sure if he wanted to. He spent so much time being hard, strong and he was exhausted. It felt good to just cry he felt lighter and he could breathe for the first time in a long time.

"Derek, talk to me."

**Waiting Room – **

The team had been waiting for over five hours on word about Alex. They knew it was bad but the doctors had rushed her to surgery when she was brought in. Her husband was out of the country and so far no one had been able to reach him. He was on assignment in some deep hidden region of the world working as a part of Doctors Without Borders; a noble cause but damn inconvenient during a family emergency.

"Alex Blake?" A voice sounded from the doorway.

They watched as a dark haired-man dressed in scrubs entered the room.

"Yes." Hotch said.

"My name is Dr. Neil Punjab. I'm Dr. Blake's surgeon.

"How is she?"

"She made it through surgery better than we had anticipated. She lost a lot of blood."

"Is she going to be alright?" Reid asked.

"We were able to repair the internal injuries and I think she will recover with time."

"Can we see her?"

"She's in Intensive Care now. She's still unconscious but if you want to see her please don't stay long."

"Thank you doctor."

**Home of Mabel Henry - **

Mabel arrived home preoccupied with thoughts of revenge. It was up to her now to do what her poor dim-witted nephews could not. In all fairness, the two were out of their league, no match for someone like Derek Morgan. She was her own last chance to make things right and she wasn't going to fail.

Mabel entered her kitchen and filled her kettle with water and turned on the stove. She was exhausted and disappointed; she'd envisioned herself sitting down for a victory dinner instead she was going to be making funeral arrangements tomorrow.

She grabbed her tea from the cupboard and placed a bag in a small teacup. She loved tea it just seemed to relax and calm her nerves. She had quite a collection of teas; exotic, medicinal and special purpose teas. She inhaled the aroma as the orange spice tea wafted upward toward the ceiling.

"_Agent Morgan looked so tired."_ She thought to herself. _"Hmm…I'm sure a nice cup of tea would do the trick."_

She rummaged through her collection and found an old box of tea. She hadn't used it in years it was for special occasions. She opened the box and took a whiff of the pungent leaves.

"_Yes, a strong cup of my special tea should do the trick…just what the dashing agent Morgan needs…"_

She smiled closed her eyes and took a nice long sip of her hot brew.


	9. Chapter 9

Bring Them Home, Morgan Chapter 9

**Potomac General – Garcia's Room – Morning**

Morgan hadn't gotten much sleep his mind still running a mile a minute. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her as she slept peacefully in the bed. When he did close his eyes all he could see was Garcia's body hanging limp from the rafters. His heart had stopped at the sight; he would never forget it…ever.

Hotch and the others had left the hospital after seeing Alex vowing to return this morning. Morgan refused to leave Garcia's room even though he was certain that there was no remaining threat to her or the rest of the team, still he insisted on staying making himself as comfortable as possible in the small leather recliner in the far corner of the room. He was happy that she was being discharged today; JJ had promised to bring a fresh change of clothes when she returned.

Morgan dreaded the thought of seeing Hotch; he'd insisted yesterday that Morgan give up Elle, which he'd refused to do. He knew that quite possibly he would lose his job but he wasn't going to turn against a friend and he couldn't believe that Hotch would insist on it. Both of them were stubborn and hard headed so for at least one of them the impending showdown would not go well.

Garcia had begun to stir reaching for her glasses on the side table next to her bed. He stood and approached her bed.

"Good morning, Baby Girl."

"I'll show you a good morning, Hot Stuff."

He chuckled looking down on her and falling into a comfortable silence. He took her hand in his and moved to sit next to her on the bed.

"How'd you sleep?" He asked.

"Not bad considering this mattress is narrow and hard as a rock."

"Well, you'll be in your own bed tonight and I'll personally tuck you in, Angel."

"Wow, the thought of being tucked in by a gorgeous chocolate god can only be bested by that aforementioned chocolate god being tucked in next to me."

"Don't start silly girl."

JJ's light knock interrupted the banter between the two friends. She entered smiling and carrying an overnight bag with fresh clothes and toiletries for her friend.

"Good morning you two."

"Hey JJ." Morgan answered.

"Ahh…JJ, you're an angel! Thank you." Garcia said reaching for the bag.

"I think that's my cue to leave. I'm going get a cup of coffee and check on Alex."

Morgan stood, placed a light kiss on her forehead and headed toward the door.

"Oh, sugar, I thought you were going to help me get dressed." She teased.

"I'd rather help you get undressed, gorgeous." He teased back.

"Goodbye, Morgan." JJ added sternly.

Chuckling, he headed down the hall toward the cafeteria. Just as he entered his phone rang. He checked his watch…8:45…he wasn't expecting this call for another fifteen minutes.

"Hey Hotch."

"Good morning. Just calling to check on Garcia and Alex."

Puzzled he pulled his phone away from his ear and looked at it. He was expecting another order for Elle's whereabouts.

"Uh…Garcia is fine. JJ just got here with fresh clothes. I'd planned on checking on Alex in a few minutes. I'm just grabbing a cup of coffee."

"Good. I'm on my way there now."

"Is that all?"

"For now. I'm serious about our conversation yesterday. I want to know where Elle is. I hope you're prepared to give me that information when I get there."

"Hotch…you know I can't do that."

"I'll see you soon."

The phone went dead and Morgan leaned against the wall in disbelief. If it had not been for Elle he would not have been able to rescue them and now he was expected to turn her in for a case that had already been closed by the authorities.

**Garcia's Room – **

Garcia was happy to be going home and putting the horror of the day before behind her. She noticed that JJ still looked tired and had not quite shaken off their ordeal either.

"So, how'd you sleep last night, P?"

"Not bad, I guess. I'm just glad to be going home."

"I hear you. You scared the crap out of us, you know."

"I'm sorry. I'm not trained to bounce back after getting my bell rung like the rest of you."

"Well I'm just glad you're better."

"Me too."

Garcia buttoned her blouse while JJ put her toiletries back in the bag. JJ noticed that Garcia was not her normal bubbly self.

"What's going on with you this morning? You seem a little preoccupied."

"I'm worried about Morgan, JJ."

"Why? What's going on?"

"You know him; he's going to over analyze what happened, blame himself for me and Alex getting hurt…for us getting kidnapped in the first place."

"Yeah I hear you but that's Morgan. He wants to protect everybody even though realistically he knows he can't."

"It still doesn't stop him from trying."

"Morgan is Morgan…you gotta love him."

"I still think there's something else bothering him."

"I saw him talking to Hotch while we were all here at the hospital, it looked pretty heated."

"Why?"

"I'm sure it has something to do with Elle."

"Elle? What's Elle got to do with anything?"

"She's the one that helped Morgan rescue us."

"What? You're kidding! Where is she? I want to see her?"

"She's gone, disappeared after she and Morgan got us out."

**Alex's Room – **

Morgan quietly stood at the foot of Alex's bed while the injured agent slept. No one had been able to locate her husband and he wondered if that was for the best. He remembered finding her still, lying on the cold cement floor. There was so much blood he was certain that he was too late.

He regretted not getting to know her better she always seemed to have an impenetrable wall up protecting herself and preventing them from getting too close. The two of them had not started off well either. He wondered what had happened to her in the past that caused her to fight so desperately to keep them all at arm's length. In spite of the fact that he missed Emily, perhaps more than he expected to, he had begun to accept Alex as a teammate. She was good at her job and had seemed to be the confidante that Reid needed.

Without turning around, he knew it was Hotch who had entered the room. The two men stood momentarily watching Alex without saying a word yet their silence acknowledged each other's existence.

"How is she?" Hotch whispered breaking the silence.

"The doctors said she had a good night; her vitals are stable and they expect her to wake up soon."

More silence both men uncomfortable dreading the conversation that would take place once they left the room.

"Morgan, we need to talk."

"Hotch, there's nothing to talk about. I'm not giving up Elle."

"Morgan…"

"No Hotch! She saved your life, the team's lives and I'm not turning her into you so that you can do what exactly?"

"She has to be held accountable for what she did, Morgan!"

The two men where so caught up in their discussion that they did not realize that Alex was awake and watching them go at each other.

"Boys, boys, take it outside!" She said in a painful whisper.

"Sorry, Alex." Morgan said ashamedly.

"Yeah. Sorry…" Hotch reluctantly echoed.

"How are you feeling?" Morgan asked.

"Well, I've been better. Maybe I should be asking you the same question. What's going on with you two?"

"It's nothing…nothing, really." Morgan began. "I'm glad you're awake. You look a lot better than the last time I saw you."

"Thanks."

"I better go see if Garcia is ready to leave. I'll be back later, Alex."

Alex nodded still puzzled with her two partners. Hotch stoic remained silent looking down at his shoes like a little boy who'd just been scolded by his third grade teacher. Morgan stepped out of the room without another word and disappeared down the hallway.

Before Alex could question her boss further her doctor and nurse entered her room and shooed him away so that she could be examined. She wondered what could have made the two men, both whom she'd grown to respect and admire, so angry at each other.

**Home of Mabel Henry – **

Mabel sat quietly at the small kitchen table sipping on a freshly brewed cup of peppermint tea. It was good for relieving stress and always seemed to settle her stomach. Each day that Derek Morgan walked the streets nearly made her stomach turn and ball up into one big knot. He had to pay for destroying her family and taking the only people that had meant anything to her.

She closed her eyes and allowed the warm minty brew to slide down her throat and she felt a little relief. She knew it would take more than a cup of her favorite tea to make things right again. She felt hopeful that her plans would bring her the real comfort she so desperately needed and had waited for fifteen years to receive.

As she sat warmed by the sun as it crept through the pale yellow curtains that hung from the small window next to the table, she thumbed through a large worn family album. She seemed unaware of the steady stream of tears that had now begun to flow down her weathered face. The pictures reminded her of the family that had long passed away. She stopped at a picture of her sister Natalie and her husband Mitchell. The twins on each side smiling and happy; they had been sweet, precocious boys surely not destined for such a disgraceful and tragic end. She had to make it right she wouldn't rest until she did. The day was here to do what only she was left to do.

Mabel took another sip of the tea that had now cooled to lukewarm and glanced at the open cabinet that held her collection of teas; some mixed by her own hands. They had served their purpose over the years and it was time to call them into service again. She had a special brew in mind for one Derek Morgan. It would not relieve his stress; on the contrary it would lull him into a state of heaviness and pain then after several hours of agony…it would end his life. Now the tears that ran freely down her face were tears of joy. She nodded her head, closed the photo album stood, grabbed her purse and keys and headed toward the door.

**BAU – Late Afternoon – **

Hotch ordered Morgan back to the office immediately after taking Garcia home. JJ volunteered to stay with Garcia until he returned. Not that Garcia needed a babysitter but Derek was in overprotective overdrive and insisted that she not be alone at least for tonight.

Hotch was waiting when Morgan arrived. Rossi was in his office and Reid had decided to stay with Alex at the hospital. Hotch was fully engaged in the pile of files on his desk when Morgan knocked on his door.

"Come in."

Morgan opened the door and entered the office.

"Have a seat."

Morgan had to admit he was nervous. There was no way out for him and he hadn't changed his mind.

"Morgan…"

"Look Hotch." He interrupted. "I haven't changed my mind. I can't tell you where Elle is."

"Then I have no choice but to suspend you until you change your mind."

"Why are you doing this? Elle was cleared of any wrongdoing. She saved your life!"

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't do this!"

"I'll need your credentials and your gun."

Morgan stared at him unbelievingly. After a few more seconds he stood and placed his credentials on the desk and then reaching for the gun on his waist placed it next to them.

"Hotch you're making a mistake."

"Morgan, Elle shot a man in cold blood. She needs to be held accountable for that!"

Without saying another word, Morgan left Hotch's office slamming the door behind him.

Mabel waited patiently in the parking lot for the agent. He seemed in a hurry as he approached his SUV. Just as he got into view she attempted to start her car. She knew that he'd come running to her aid when he heard her stalled engine. He couldn't help himself he was a hero after all.

Morgan glanced at the late model car two rows over. The engine sounded as if it had long outlived its usefulness. It was Mabel, stressfully pounding on her steering wheel; that never worked he half chuckled to himself. He walked over to her car to offer his assistance.

"Mabel?"

She jumped as if she had not heard him approach.

"Oh! Agent Morgan, I didn't hear you come up. You almost gave an old lady a heart attack."

"I'm sorry. Sounds like your engine is shot. Pop your hood let me take a look."

"Sure." She smiled.

After several minutes, Derek realized that there was nothing he or anyone for that matter could do for her car without a major overhaul.

"I think you're going to need a tow."

"Great! I have my ladies guild coming over in an hour. I'm screwed!"

"I'd be happy to give you a ride."

"I don't want to put you out. I'm sure a handsome single man like yourself has much better things to do than give an old lady a ride home."

"Well if there was an old lady around I'd be willing to give her a ride home too. So since it's just you and me, how about it?"

Such a sweetie, she thought to herself.

"Well, if it's not too much trouble…"


	10. Chapter 10

Morgan wasn't in the mood for conversation. Mabel however, was an incessant chatterbox. He tried losing himself in the noise but she wanted to engage him. Maybe the distraction would be good.

"Where are you from Agent Morgan?"

"Chicago."

"No kidding! So am I!"

"Really?" Surprised he quickly glanced at her.

"Got any family?"

"Yes. My mother and two sisters."

"Must be nice having family. Are you all close?"

"Very. How about you, any family?"

"No. I'm afraid I've out lived everyone in my family."

He noticed the sadness in her face. He couldn't imagine not having his mother and sisters to drive him crazy and to love him the same way.

"I'm sorry to hear that. What brought you to Virginia?"

"I had some family business to take care of. It was supposed to be a short stay but it took longer than expected so, I settled here."

"I guess it's as good as any where else."

"Perhaps. Its just hard being alone; no husband, no children…"

Morgan kept his eyes on the road not knowing what to say to comfort the virtual stranger that he'd only met less than 24 hours ago. Besides, his mind was still on the fact that he'd been suspended from his job for refusing a senseless request from Hotch. He'd never been placed in a situation like this before and he wasn't sure how it would all end. One thing for certain, he wasn't going to turn his back on Elle even if it meant losing his job.

**BAU – **

Rossi walked into Hotch's office carrying two glasses of scotch. It was one of those days and he'd seen Morgan come and go in a huff. He knew Hotch was insisting on something that Morgan couldn't deliver. The two men had had their conflicts in the past but they respected each other and trusted each other. There was more behind this than perhaps any of them realized or cared to admit.

"You're wrong." Rossi began handing the drink to Hotch.

Hotch took the drink and sipped the brown liquid letting it slowly burn its way down his throat.

"You're asking him to do something he can't do." He continued.

"Rossi…"

"No. Aaron, trust me, you don't want to do this."

"I can't let Elle get away with cold-blooded murder."

"Is it the fact that she may or may not have shot someone in cold-blood or is it the fact that she walked away from you and this team without talking to you first, apologizing and asking for your blessing?"

"Dave…"

"Or maybe she did something you thought about doing countless of times. We deal with unspeakable evil every day and we all have our breaking point. Elle snapped."

"Don't tell me you're justifying what she did."

"I'm not trying to justify anything. What I'm saying is, don't ruin a man's career, someone you love like a brother, because of some unresolved feelings that you have against Elle!"

Hotch set the glass on the desk and let his head fall against the back of his chair.

"If someone made the same request of you, what would you do?" Rossi added.

Hotch new Rossi was right. He'd let his anger against Elle cause him to strike out against Morgan.

"So it must be quite a burden being right all the time." Hotch joked.

"Right." Rossi chuckled.

Rossi lifted his drink tilting it toward his friend and finished it off. Hotch followed suit. Rossi poured them another and they sat in silence enjoying the expensive alcohol.

"So, what do I do about Morgan?"

"Make it right but it can wait until morning. You both need to cool off."

Hotch nodded and drained his glass.

**Home of Mabel Henry – **

Morgan pulled up in front of a small well-kept house. It was older and had a certain charm that seemed to fit Mabel. It had taken 45 minutes to drive there from FBI Headquarters but the time passed quickly. He actually enjoyed the conversation with the older woman who'd done her best to help him find his team. It was still odd that she had missed the obvious location but it was just further proof that there was only one Penelope Garcia; her skills were unmatched when it came to helping them hunt down the bad guys.

"Why don't you come in for a few minutes?"

"I better not. Maybe another time?"

"Silly me, of course you have better things to do than spend five or ten minutes with a boring old lady."

Yep, just like his grandmother. Able to press that guilt button at will. He saw something in Mabel's eyes he hadn't seen before; sadness, loneliness? He wasn't quite sure.

"Okay, just a few minutes then I really have to get back."

"Wonderful! I have my church group coming over anyway so I won't keep you long."

Morgan followed her up the walkway to the front door. He looked around at all of the beautiful flowers lining the porch in bright colored pots of varying sizes. He imagined her spending her Saturday mornings sitting in the wicker rocker drinking coffee and reading the paper.

Mabel unlocked the door and the fruity smell of potpourri hit him lightly in the face. She quickly disappeared into the kitchen and he slowly let his eyes roam around the room.

"Have a seat and make yourself at home." She called from the kitchen.

He continued to look around the room, lifting old black and white pictures of a man and woman he supposed were her parents. He also saw a picture that was a much younger version of Mabel and another woman that was a little older.

"That's me and my sister when we were younger."

Startled Morgan set the picture down and turned to face Mabel.

"Sorry, I was just curious."

"No worries. I have nothing to hide."

He picked up another picture of two little boys and began studying it.

"Those are my precious boys."

"Quite handsome little guys."

"I must confess that I wasn't a very good mother."

"I'm sure that's not true."

"Yes it is. I was 16 when they were born. My sister, Tammy and her husband took them in and raised them as theirs."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"It's fine. It was a long time ago. I became their "Aunt" and I got to watch them grow up and be a part of their life."

"Where are they now?"

"They're dead."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"Shot dead in the prime of their lives."

Morgan watched the life drain from her face as her admission was interrupted by the hissing sound of a teakettle.

"Excuse me for minute."

Mabel rushed away into the kitchen. Morgan continued to examine the old pictures. There was nothing beyond her childhood or beyond the boy's childhood. He could only imagine the tragedy that must have taken them away at a young age.

Mabel rejoined him in the front room carrying a large silver tray setting it down on the cocktail table in front of the couch.

"Join me for a nice hot cup of tea, Agent?"

"Uh…no I'm not a tea drinker."

"Oh come on. It's a special brew that I put together myself. Fancy myself a connoisseur of sorts."

"Thanks but I better get going."

"Okay but can you help me bring something up from the basement before you leave? I need a few extra chairs for my ladies meeting."

"Sure no problem."

Morgan checked his watch and followed her toward the basement. He wanted to make it quick so that he could get back to Garcia.

Mabel opened the door of the basement and stepped aside smiling as he passed her and stepped onto the stair landing. Things weren't going as she had originally planned. The tea would have made things so much easier for her but like always she had a back up plan.

As Morgan slowly descended the steps into the dark musty basement, Mabel grabbed the kettle that she had just used to boil the water for the tea. She held it tightly and thought of her nephews, her sons being shot dead; first Antoine then Andrew. She had been responsible for burying both of them her only real act as their mother. Revenge would be the gift to herself. Then with all of her strength she swung the kettle landing with a hard thud against the head of the unsuspecting man.

Morgan stunned by a sudden pain tumbled down the stairs landing hard on the cold cement floor of Mabel Henry's basement. He didn't see it coming, didn't realize that when he'd seen her fretting over her disabled car in the FBI garage that it was all a part of a diabolical plan to end his life. Pain overcame his senses as the darkness pulled him in and held him tight.

"You should have drunk the tea!"

Mabel smiled and closed the door locking it behind her.


End file.
